Telephone conversation between Bin Ali and Bouteflika

Tunisian President Zein al-Abidin Bin Ali and Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika on Wednesday held their first telephone conversation since President Bouteflika assumed power in Algeria in April.

The Tunisian news agency said the two presidents discussed during their telephone call "bilateral relations and prospects of strengthening and deepening them."

Algerian sources indicated that the telephone talks between the two presidents dealt with the summit conference of the Organization of African Unity which Algeria will host next week and the prospects of reactivating the Arab Maghreb Union institutions.

The Arab Maghreb Union includes in addition to Algeria and Tunisia, each of Morocco, Libya and Mauritania. Algeria has held the presidency of the federation since 1995.